City have coped well without the 25-year-old, winning seven of their eight games since his injury. But they will surely be delighted to welcome back Aguero, who has scored 19 goals so far this season.

Manuel Pellegrini is not sure yet if the striker will feature in the FA Cup third-round replay against Blackburn at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday night.

It is perhaps likely that the Chilean will hold him back this week, looking to preserve him for a busy run of games across four competitions over the next month. City face Tottenham, Chelsea and Barcelona in that time.